Cardinals select Washington State safety Deone Bucannon

The Arizona Cardinals were able to address a major need with the selection of Washington State safety Deone Bucannon with the No. 27 overall pick in the draft.

Bucannon, a hard-hitting safety, is the first player from Washington State selected in the first round since Marcus Trufant was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in 2003.

The Cardinals appear unlikely to have either of their two starting safeties from last season on the roster for Week 1. Yeremiah Bell is a free agent and hasn’t been re-signed and Tyrann Mathieu could start the season on the physically unable to perform list while he continues to work back ACL and LCL tears in his knee.

Rashad Johnson and Tony Jefferson are decent depth options but the Cardinals needed to find a more productive option in the back-end of their defense.

Bucannon is a thumper who can be a little erratic at times. However, he has tons of talent and could be the Cardinals version of Kam Chancellor in their secondary.

He was mocked by many to go to the Patriots at 29. They would have been applauded by the media for such an insightful sleeper pick. Instead, the Cardinals get him (+ a 3rd) at 27 and people call it a reach.

AZ is trying to create their own version of Seattle’s Legion of Boom. Buchannan is supposedly an athletic heat-seeking missle, so he fits the Chancellor role, Peterson is Sherman, and Mathieu is their poor version of Thomas. As in Seattle, whoever they want plays the other corner spot. Think they have a long way to go if they’re going to reach those heights though.

As a Pats fan, I’m so bummed! this is the key player we needed in our backfield, and snatched up 3 picks prior kills as a fan to watch. This kid will be a pro bowler in 2 yrs. best SS in the draft hands down. Argg.

Considered a reach by some. Went in the expected range by others.
Keim said the pick was “a perfect storm” for them. With his strength and athleticism he was currently BPA on their board, covered a need, and they got him while also acquiring an additional 3rd round pick.
Keim hasn’t given Cards fans any reason to doubt him yet, I don’t believe we should start now, especially after only a single pick.

brohamma says:May 9, 2014 5:50 AM

Great pick for Arizona. As a Patriots fan this is who I was hoping we would get to play next to McCourty. The guy is going to be feared.

The NFC West just got even more physical. The tape on this guy made me cringe a couple times – he can hit. Wish the Steelers got someone like this guy. Albeit maybe with their 2nd pick and not their first.

“In coverage, he’s lost—often. He’s not as smooth an athlete as you like in the deep middle-third, nor does he have the elite straight-line speed to catch up to a receiver who’s gotten behind him. Worst of all, I question whether he’ll be able to cover the pass-catching tight ends (like Vernon Davis) that are catching on in the league.

This is an old-school strong safety in a new-school league. There’s a place for that, but maybe not in the first round.”

This is the guy AZ was targeting from the jump. Of course the top 10 guys were gone. After that u get ur dude. Draft aint bout Mayock and McShay and Kiper. Them dudes is guessing like everyone else. Mayock looked like a donkey last night and people b listening to the dude.

I like the AZ pick, we needed a safety and personally got the best fit, he is bigger stronger and faster than the 2 safeties picked before him. DB is an All American and All Pac 12. He just did not get the hype cause his school.

And Seagull fans need to chill out on that AZ Cards tryin to copy them mess. AZ is building and AZ Bird Gang D. Drafting a big safety does not mean that teams r tryin to b SEA. AZ got burned by TE’s last year and this fit the bill

As someone who has gone to WSU for the last three years of his collegiate career, let me say a few things. 1) He improved every year as a person and a player. He is the hardest hitting safety in this draft class. 2) He is a ball hawk. He knows where the ball is going and plays it beautifully. 3) He sniffs out the run better than a bloodhound looking for food. 4) Deone is the type of kid that teams look for, he loves his family, his friends, football and he will give a team everything he has every day.